This section comprises papers that address the history of FACEM. The first two contributions provide an overview of the making of the database in 2011 and its remaking in 2026.
In the 1990s, when I began to study pottery assemblages from the Austrian excavations at Elea/Velia, a site founded by Phocaeans in 540/535 BC on the Tyrrhenian coast of Southern Italy, it soon became clear that many questions about cultural contacts or economic exchange could not be answered, as for all pottery classes except Attic figured vases it was difficult to determine their provenance. In particular, the study of western Greek transport amphorae, then denominated “ionio-massaliote” amphorae and still believed to be characteristic of a Phocaean trade network, presented many difficulties. [1] It was thus decided to use the pottery fabrics to study pottery at Velia and extended this concept, together with Maria Trapichler, to all classes of ceramic objects. [2] Developed by British archaeologists in the 1970s, the concept of fabrics gained more widespread use in the 1990s but was rarely applied in Mediterranean archaeology at that time. Soon, we had a large collection of fabrics but could not clearly attribute them to production sites. Therefore, together with the geologist Roman Sauer (Vienna, Austria) and Giovanna Greco from the Università di Studi Federico II (Naples, Italy), we initiated a project to sample important sites in Southern Italy, and to a minor extent in Sicily, that received the kind help of many Soprintendenze from the region. [3] From 2001, collaborations with Babette Bechtold and Roald Docter of Ghent University (Belgium) and with Bashkim Lahi of the Institute of Archaeology in Tirana (Albania) provided important insights for the regions of North Africa and the Albanian coast.
In 2007, we faced the challenge of publishing the enormous amount of samples that we had accumulated. In response to the quick development of digital humanities in the early 2000s, we decided on a web-based information system named FACEM (Fabrics of the Central Mediterranean), with Babette Bechtold, Maria Trapichler, and myself as editors. This choice aligned with the open-access policy favored by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and offered the possibility of presenting many photos in color without incurring high costs. Furthermore, it allowed for continuous growth. The technical framework of this website was developed by the late Kurt Schaller and by Jakob Egger from CHC (Cultural Heritage Computing), a transdisciplinary facility of the University of Salzburg (Austria). [4] Our first release went online in June 2011, and was followed by a total of eight releases, the last of which was in December 2020. During those 10 years, we gained new insights into the pottery production of many areas in Southern Italy and Sicily.
However, the increase in data and the participation of many different collaborators also led to inconsistencies. It became clear that, from a technical point of view as well, a reorganisation of the website had become indispensable. With this remake, we are pleased to welcome Carina Hasenzagl and Barbara Borgers as co-editors, Maria Trapichler having retired in the meantime.
Verena Gassner
As research continued to grow, FACEM faced evolving technical requirements and challenges in adhering to the FAIR principles (i.e., Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). To address these issues, the ‘Remaking FACEM’ project was developed and financially supported by the Austrian Science Fund in 2024. In close collaboration with the IT-Support for Research Department of the Vienna University Computer Center, a new software solution aligned with the FAIR principles was created between 2024 and 2026.
From 2026 onward, new research data added to FACEM will result in a chronological and geographical expansion of ceramic fabrics beyond the database’s original scope. For this reason, the original name ‘Fabrics of the Central Mediterranean’ will be changed to ‘Fabrics of Ancient Ceramics in the Mediterranean’, while retaining the familiar acronym.
As part of the remaking of FACEM, bibliographic references cited in the introductory texts concerning the beginning of FACEM and its first eight releases have been updated. In addition, the contributions have undergone minor stylistic and grammatical corrections, while largely preserving the original wording. From Release nine, acknowledgments regarding funding and sampling permissions will be included exclusively in the Impressum.
Verena Gassner, Babette Bechtold, Barbara Borgers & Carina Hasenzagl
The project started in the context of Magna Graecia from research on pottery of the fifth c. BCE, carried out at Elea/Velia, a Phocaean colony on the Tyrrhenian coast. It soon became evident that the careful classification of the material according to fabrics resulted in a large collection of fabrics that could not, however, be attributed to secured production sites. Therefore, together with the geologist Roman Sauer (Vienna) and with Giovanna Greco from the Dipartimento di discipline storiche Ettore Lepore, Università Federico II, Napoli (Italy), we initiated a project of sampling important sites in Southern Italy, and to an extent Sicily, that enjoyed the kind help of many Soprintendenze from the region. We succeeded in defining the characteristics of the productions of a series of important colonies on the Ionic coast of Italy, like Sybaris, Caulonia, Locri, and the southern Calabrian region (‘Rhegion/Zankle area’), as well as other productions that have not been localized yet, but can be attributed to Calabria with high probability. On the Tyrrhenian side, we have data for the local production at Elea, Paestum (Poseidonia), and the Gulf of Naples, including the island of Ischia (Pithekoussai). [5] Naples is evidently of particular importance as the area developed into one of the most important production sites for pottery in the Hellenistic period, producing the so-called Campana A ware. [6] Recently, an important wine production, made visible by the production of Graeco-Italic amphorae, has been proposed for the region as well. [7] Our database for Sicily is still weak, but includes Naxos, Messina, and Himera. [8]
In addition to these production sites in Italy, we have been able to distinguish the characteristics of other production centers through the analyses of samples from Elea/Velia that could be attributed to specific regions or sites based on archaeological considerations. Most important are Athens, defined by fabrics of black-glazed ware corresponding to those of Attic black or red-figured pottery, and Corinth, by samples of amphoras of the type Corinth A, the petrographic characteristics of which are described in detail by Whitbread. [9] In the Ionian-Adriatic region, we could define an important center, most probably to be identified with Corfu. This hypothesis was strengthened when, in 2001, we succeeded in acquiring material from excavations at Butrint (Buthrothum) in Albania, as its fabrics dominated the local/regional spectrum of amphorae from Butrint, just opposite to Corfu. [10]
The evidence for pottery production on the Albanian coast was supplemented recently by amphora material from Apollonia. [11] Some production sites in the Northern and Eastern Aegean, such as Samos, Ephesos, or Chios, have been identified due to the specific form of amphorae and in comparison with published analyses or research carried out by Roman Sauer in that region. [12] Some rare but clearly recognisable imports of amphorae from Massalia/Marseille (Southern France, micaceous type) to Elea/Velia, and samples from Emporion/Ampurias (Spain), allowed the definition of these production sites. [13]
Currently, our date range comprises pottery from the sixth to the second centuries BCE, coming from Southern Italy and Sicily, the Albanian coast, important export centers of Greece and Asia Minor, and two important Greek sites in the western Mediterranean.
During the period in question, the Greeks of Magna Graecia and Sicily, as well as the Carthaginians, with their center in Carthage on the northern coast of Africa, were connected by a complex system of political, economic, and cultural contacts that resulted in a lively exchange of material goods. Thus, concentrating only on the Greek part of this Mediterranean system seemed inappropriate and not in accordance with ancient realities. Luckily, collaboration with Roald Docter from Ghent University, Department of Archaeology, dating back to the experiences at Butrint in 2001, can now complement these data with a wide range of samples of Punic pottery. Most important is a group of about 70 samples from Carthage, comprising local plain ware, local cooking ware, and local transport amphorae from primary contexts of the Middle and Late Punic periods from the settlement excavation at Bir Messaouda, site 2 (seventh to second centuries BCE). [14] Until now, archaeometric analyses proving a provenance from Carthage are available for the Archaic ceramic classes of plain ware, red slip, and bichrome ware. [15]
The strong macroscopic similarity between the Archaic fabrics and those of the Middle and Late Punic ceramics (fifth to second centuries BCE, plain ware and painted ware) suggests, however, that the Carthaginian workshops were active up to 146 BCE, when Rome defeated both Carthage and Greece. [16] Recently, B. Maraoui Telmini made an attempt to localize one possible ancient source of the raw materials used for Carthaginian pottery. [17] Currently, we are working on classifying the various fabrics attributable to the area around Carthage.
Other important regions of the Punic sphere of influence are still in the sampling phase. Sicily is represented with samples from Palermo. [18] From Sardinia, samples have been included from Olbia [19] and from the Riu Mannu Survey in south-western Sardinia. [20] Samples from Malta have been provided from Żejtun. [21] All these samples cover approximately the same date range as the Greek pottery.
This large bulk of samples, comprising pottery from the sixth to the second centuries BCE, originating from Southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia, as well as the Albanian and Iberian coasts, from some important export centers in Greece and Asia Minor, and from two key sites of the Punic world, Carthage and Palermo, was presented in the first release of FACEM on 6 June 2011.
Verena Gassner
The second release of FACEM concentrates on pottery produced in the Bay of Naples. [22] Thanks to the generosity and engagement of our Italian partners and friends, most of all of the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, [23] we were able to study table wares and coarse wares from the site of Naples [24] and from the site of Cuma. [25] These investigations were complemented by studies of samples of Campana A from the consumption area, namely the site of Velia, and of terra sigillata, stemming as well from the site of Velia and from a keysite for the study of Italian terra sigillata, the military camp of Haltern in Germany. [26]
The methodological approach as well as the results of these studies on the pottery of Naples have been discussed in a workshop, “Pottery Production in the Gulf of Naples. Wares, Fabrics and Raw Materials”, held in Vienna in 2012. [27] In this second release, we present the classification of fabrics of table ware and coarse ware, still summarized under the code B(ay of) Nap(les), as the interpretation of archaeometric analyses is still ongoing. [28] Suggestions for possible provenances are, however, given in the respective papers.
Verena Gassner
The third release of FACEM focuses on ceramic finds - mainly transport amphorae - found at selected Punic sites in the Central Mediterranean. [29] The first focal point relates to the pottery production on Phoenician-Punic Malta. For this fabric study, stratified finds from ongoing excavations at the Roman villa of Żejtun [30] have provided twenty-six samples from sealed, Middle Punic contexts dating to the fourth century BCE. These allow for the definition of several local fabrics associated with transport amphorae, coarse wares, and handmade pottery. The Żejtun assemblage has been supplemented by further samples from recent stratigraphic rescue excavations at Rabat, [31] from the southern part of the Tas-Silġ sanctuary, [32] and from the Malta Survey Project. [33] Some Maltese amphora fabrics have been identified at Pantelleria, [34] Jerba, [35] Carthage, [36] and Camarina. [37] The distribution of Maltese transport vessels outside the archipelago has been discussed in detail in a specific paper. [38]
The second focal point of our present study is on the presentation of local ceramic fabrics from Pantelleria/Cossyra. During its whole occupation, this small volcanic island in the middle of the Sicilian Channel depended heavily on agricultural commodities imported from abroad. Stratigraphical data from recent excavations on the Acropolis of S. Teresa provide clear evidence for locally produced pottery from the second half of the seventh century BCE onwards, even while the well-known Pantellerian Ware was exported principally during the Middle and Late Imperial periods.
The third focal point falls within the framework of our project “Economic Interactions between Punic and Greek Settlements in the Southern/Central Mediterranean (late 7th-4th BCE),” using evidence from the transport amphorae. We focus on the fabric identification of imported amphorae found at selected Punic sites. At this stage of the project, we have increased our sampling of mainly western Greek, but also Sardinian fabrics. For that purpose, we selected about 160 samples from Pantelleria, Carthage, Segesta, [39] and Lilybaeum. [40] This assemblage has been complemented by unpublished materials from Ghizène on the northern shores of Jerba, [41] from Malta, [42] and from Selinunte, [43] which significantly expand our geographic range. The results of our present research are discussed in detail in Carthage Studies 7. [44]
Furthermore, we are pleased to include within this update two contributions by M. Fourmont and G. Montana concerning the pottery kilns of quarter FF1 of Punic Selinunte, which anticipates, in fact, the primary topic of the next release of FACEM, namely the amphora fabrics of western Sicily.
Corrigenda: Finally, we decided to add the field “changes of previously edited data” to the database (on the index card “object data”), which serves the purpose of reporting any kind of modification or correction.
Babette Bechtold
The main focus of the fourth release of FACEM [45] lies on the detailed edition of the amphora fabrics of Punic Sicily, i.e., the productions of Solus, Panormos, Motya, Lilybaion, and Selinus. Our research is based on archaeometric [46] analyses and archaeological fabric studies of about 400 samples, mainly from transport amphorae, but also from coarse wares from both the production sites [47] and several other sites of the area of influence of Carthage, located in North Africa, [48] on the islands of the Sicilian Channel [49] and in Sicily. [50] Moreover, the assemblages of Sicilian-Punic amphorae from selected consumption sites such as Entella, Grotta Vanella/Segesta, Monte Porcara (Palermo), and Pizzo Cannita (Palermo), all located in the hinterland of the production centers mentioned above, are presented in detail. Finally, it was possible to attribute one of the unidentified Punic fabrics already published in the FACEM database to the Lilybaion group.
Secondly, we publish some new amphora fabrics from outside western Sicily, such as a couple of Late Punic fabrics from Utica and more fabrics from the Circulo del Estrecho de Gibraltar (CdE) region/area of Málaga/Almería.
The third focal point is on the presentation of new evidence for the production of pottery and ceramic building materials at Velia, including the results of archaeometric analyses. Specifically, we discuss the diachronic occurrence of local glazed and coarse wares, transport amphorae, ceramic building materials, and bricks.
Babette Bechtold
The fifth release of FACEM [51] is focused on the edition of the module ‘petrography’ designed by CHC Salzburg [52] (Cultural Heritage Computing, a transdisciplinary facility of the University), for the publication of data derived from thin-section analysis by polarizing microscope. This new supplementary tool extends the database of FACEM to the discipline of archaeometry. It enables users to add petrographic data to the already existing description structure of a given ceramic sample, combining the results of independently conducted research strategies, namely archaeology and archaeometry.
Specifically, within the framework of the fifth update, we present the scientific outcome of thin-section analysis [53] undertaken on 96 samples, referring mostly to Punic transport amphorae, but also to selected plain ware items, all used for the archaeometric characterization of amphora productions of Punic Sicily published in the fourth release of FACEM (June 2015, see above). In detail, the new module offers petrographic data that were employed for determining the fabrics of Solus, Panormos, Motya, Lilybaion, and Selinus.
Babette Bechtold
The sixth release of FACEM complements the contributions of the second release in December 2012, focused on the pottery production of the Bay of Naples, by adding data about transport amphorae [54] and by publishing the analyses of terra sigillata found at Velia. These analyses [55] comprise sigillata produced in the area of the Bay of Naples, as well as from Arezzo and Pisa in Tuscany. [56] The second focal point of the present release is the presentation of pottery and fabrics from the Monte Iato in Sicily. [57]
Verena Gassner & Babette Bechtold
The seventh release of FACEM presents the first results of an interdisciplinary project [58] focused on the pottery production in the plain of the river Sele, presented also during a workshop in the museum of Paestum in 2018 (La produzione ceramica nella piana del Sele dal VII al III sec. a.C. - I contesti archeologici e primi risultati delle indagini archeometriche). [59] The study, which regarded the important center of Poseidonia/Paestum in the south, and in the north the Etrusco-Italic settlements of Pontecagnano and Fratte in the periphery of Salerno, was based on the prolific cooperation of scholars from Italian and Austrian universities [60] and important museums of the area [61] with geologists specialized in archaeometric studies from the Università di Napoli Federico II [62] and the Università del Sannio. [63] The contributions by Daniela Capece, Marina Cipriani, Bianca Ferrara, Marialucia Giacco, Maria Luigia Rizzo, Michele Scafuro, and Antonia Serritella outline the archaeological background, while Maria Trapichler presents the description of the respective fabrics. The article by Alberto De Bonis gives a first overview of the results of the archaeometric analyses. Finally, the contribution of Babette Bechtold shows the wide distribution of amphorae produced in the territory of Poseidonia/Paestum in the Punic sphere of influence.
Verena Gassner & Maria Trapichler
The eighth release of FACEM focuses on the archaeometric and archaeological characterization of western Greek amphorae produced in western and southern Sicily, namely Himera, Panormos and/or Solus, Entella, Selinus, and Akragas. The present research builds upon the ongoing study of the approximately 560 western Greek amphorae recovered in the necropoleis of Himera. It is completed by several smaller selections of western Greek amphorae unearthed at the aforementioned Sicilian production sites, as well as at some consumption sites located in the south-central Mediterranean. Specifically, sample assemblages have been studied from the kiln area at Porta V and from the excavations south of the temple of Zeus in Agrigento, from two minor sites of its hinterland, situated in the territory of modern Casteltermini, Fontana di Paolo, and Contrada Sanfilippo, from Selinunte, [64] Segesta, Entella, Palermo, [65] and from Pizzo Cannito and Monte Porcara, two indigenous sites of the lower Eleuterio river valley. [66] Finally, several western Greek amphorae of Sicilian production have been found in Carthage’s area of influence, at Cossyra [67] and Ghizène (Jerba). [68]
Secondly, thanks to the cooperation with the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Catania, [69] we sampled and studied several small selections of transport amphorae, coarse wares, and tiles from the indigenous settlements of Edera di Bronte, Poggio Cocalo, the acropolis of Paternò, Monte Catalfaro, Treportelle/Mineo, Santuario dei Palici-Rocchicella, and Monte Turcisi − all situated in the modern province of Catania. Furthermore, we present a first selection of supposed local fabrics identified among the votive statuettes from the fifth to the fourth centuries BCE from the Piazza San Francesco deposit in Catania. Based on the standardized methods of FACEM, this joint research aims to provide a first approach to the provenance of western Greek amphorae documented in the territory of Catania. Regardless of the initial stage of research, it has been possible to identify some imports mainly from southern Calabria, which appear to be distinguishable from presumably regional fabrics.
The last focal point is on a selection of western Greek amphorae, both local and imported, found at Hipponion (modern Vibo Valentia), in southwestern Calabria. The provenance study of this group is of particular interest in light of the previous publication in the first edition of FACEM in 2011 on several amphora fabrics from southern and eastern Calabria.
Babette Bechtold
